Foundation Senior Director - Events

At Houston Methodist, the Foundation Senior Director - Events position is responsible for overseeing the vision, strategy, and implementation of all Foundation events, as well as providing counsel for large Health System events. The Senior Director leads interaction with principal and major gift donors and executive leaders in an effort to plan and conduct high-level events, including developing and implementing the events strategies for a $1 Billion-plus comprehensive campaign. The Foundation Senior Director manages a team of high-performing professionals focused on bringing best practices to event planning and management with the desired outcome of designing and implementing best-in-class events. The Senior Director manages relationships with key vendors and other allied professionals involved in event production. The Senior Director provides strategic oversight for all event activities designed to increase awareness and support of the Foundation, with a primary focus on building and strengthening relationships with Foundation staff, Houston Methodist (HM) leadership, community volunteers, prospective donors, and donors.

The Director position responsibilities include overseeing the activities of the department staff, ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence, and efficiency to accomplish strategic and operational objectives. In addition, this position is accountable for employee engagement, adequate staffing levels, budget development, compliance, and staffing decisions such as hiring and terminating employment, coaching and counseling employees on work-related performance, and developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure a safe and effective work environment. This position also ensures training, monitoring, and operations initiatives are implemented which secure compliance with ethical and legal business practices and accreditation/regulatory/government regulations.

Note: The ideal Foundation Senior Director - Events is a strategic event executive who combines visionary planning, executive-level relationship management, team leadership and operational excellence. Success in the role requires the ability to create exceptional engagement experiences, collaborate with senior stakeholders, develop and lead a high-performing team through innovative, mission-driven events.

FLSA STATUS
Exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree
• Master’s degree preferred

EXPERIENCE

• 10 years of experience in event leadership and planning, preferably in an academic institution and/or complex healthcare institution to include 5 years experience leading teams

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially about activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Demonstrates the ability to interact with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization
• Ability to use appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to gain acceptance of ideas or plans; modifying one’s own behavior to accommodate tasks, situations, and individuals involved
• Demonstrates leadership qualities and critical thinking through self-direction initiative, and effective interpersonal skills and oral/written communication skills
• Ability to identify and understand issues, problems, and opportunities, comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences
• Extensive knowledge of regulatory and accreditation agency requirements that impact department; stays abreast of industry changes
• Demonstrates highly effective communication skills—strong written communications and platform presentation abilities
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability in the workplace
• Capable of leading teams/facilitating groups, building consensus, and garnering the highest confidence in professionalism and work product by senior leadership
• Ability to work under pressure and balance many competing priorities; highly responsive and solution/action oriented
• Proficiency in spreadsheet, word processing, and presentation software
• Maintains a positive and supportive attitude and demeanor
• Professional handling of exposure to confidential/sensitive information
• Ability to interact with all levels of the organization including executives, department chairs, board members and high net worth donors with tact and diplomacy with the aim to accomplish mutual goals and priorities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Directs, develops, and implements strategic and operational/high-level projects and processes either through independent/highly autonomous work or through the facilitation of work teams to enable the effective and efficient completion of objectives.
• Oversees management of and ensures development for staff to meet overall objectives in terms of quality, service, and cost-effectiveness. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem. Directs management responsibilities of selection, scheduling, supervision, retention, and evaluation of employees.
• Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department turnover and/or system metrics on employee engagement indicators.
• Provides leadership and communication to maintain a competent and engaged employee group by conducting regular department meetings to review policies and procedures and operational matters, rounding on all employees, completing performance appraisals, conducting new hire feedback sessions, coaching/corrective counseling, and providing recognition/commendations to achieve desired outcomes.
• Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, and units to achieve business goals. Drives the promotion of teamwork within and between departments; participates and/or leads and facilitates department process improvements as needed.
• Serves as the event liaison to HM executive leadership team and partners across all levels of the organization to ensure consistency in key messaging for all program activities in support of strategic goals.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Oversees department operations, designated projects, schedules, and activities as needed to ensure that goals or objectives are accomplished within the prescribed time frame. Sets priorities and functional standards, giving direction to staff as necessary to ensure the best possible delivery of service and high customer/patient satisfaction.
• Drives department service standards and activities to impact department and/or system score for patient/customer-based satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability. Serves and actively participates on various entity committees as a voice for the department.
• Leads the Foundation in event visioning, planning, and executive and engages high-level donors and volunteers in the planning and stewardship processes.
• Directs staff to ensure support for customers of various programs and events including donors, prospective donors, volunteer boards, councils, and related groups/committees.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Ensures a safe and effective working environment; monitors and/or revises the department safety plan and/or any specific accreditation/regulatory required safety guidelines. Responsible for staff maintenance of credentials and competencies, per accrediting/ licensing agency and/or department guidelines as applicable.
• Employs a proactive approach in the optimization of safe outcomes and information systems by monitoring and improving the department workflow and enhancing operations, using peer-to-peer accountability, and identifying solutions via collaboration. Implements process improvements utilizing tools such as lean principles. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.
• Responsible for employee compliance to policies and procedures and performs associated actions upon non-compliance (i.e., licensure/certification compliance, focal point review requirements, disaster plan, in-services, influenza immunization, wage and hour, standard hours, timely termination submission, timely timecard approval, etc.).

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develops and manages department operational and capital budgets, approvals, and ongoing maintenance of the department(s), ensuring operation in a cost-effective manner. Proactively identifies and plans for capital needs related to current equipment and future department projects. Ensures staffing plans and schedules meet department needs that reflect an understanding of the importance of cost-effectiveness.
• Creates department strategies to achieve financial targets and staffing needs, through optimizing productivity, supply/resource efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime and overtime percentage, and other areas according to department specifications.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Identifies and implements innovative solutions for practice or workflow changes to improve department, entity, or system operations by leading unit projects and/or other department/ system-directed activities. Proactively leads task forces and committees. May represent HM at assigned community or professional organization meetings.
• Drives change initiatives, maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures. Partners effectively with stakeholders as appropriate.
• Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates My Development Plan (MDP) on an ongoing basis. Conducts conversations with staff on their development and MDP.
• Stays up to date on event and philanthropic industry best practices to proactively identify measures for the engagement and management of boards, councils and related groups/committees in event related activities and efforts.
• Proactively identifies opportunities for donors and prospective donors to serve in meaningful volunteer roles and events, when appropriate.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area Yes

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree
• Master’s degree preferred

EXPERIENCE

• 10 years of experience in event leadership and planning, preferably in an academic institution and/or complex healthcare institution to include 5 years experience leading teams